Washington Commanders 'Support' NFL's Suspension of Shaka Toney

Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney, a star on Penn State's 2020 defense, will miss the 2023 NFL season after being suspended for violating the league's gambling policy.

The NFL announced Friday that Toney is one of three players indefinitely suspended for betting on league games. Also suspended are Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions. Two other players, the Lions' Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams, received six-game suspensions. As of Friday afternoon, Toney no longer was on the Commanders' roster.

According to the NFL, the players bet on league games in 2022. NFL policy prohibits "anyone in the NFL from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility or venue, including the practice facility." A review found that none of the players used inside information, and their actions did not compromise any games, the NFL said. Toney, Cephus and Moore can reapply for reinstatement following the season.

"We have been made aware of the suspension of Shaka Toney," the Commanders said in a statement. "We have cooperated fully with the NFL's investigation since receiving notice and support the league's findings and actions."

The Commanders made Toney a seventh-round pick in 2021 after he led the Nittany Lions with seven sacks the previous season. Toney was named first-team all-Big Ten in 2020. He played in 16 games for Washington last season, primarily on special teams.

In 2021, Penn State coach James Franklin said he expected Toney to excel in the NFL because of his "unbelievable football IQ."

"He's one of those guys you don't see very often on the defensive line, where he was making a lot of the calls and communication up front. And a lot of his playmaking didn't just come from his athleticism," Franklin said in 2021. "It came from his football intelligence as well."

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